Romil And Jugal (Hindi) (Web Series)

These are interesting times for makers to explore subjects that were once considered taboo. Being native Indian myself, especially when it comes to bringing out anything with gay storyline is still a big no-no. So when I heard of this online web series of 10 episodes, I was surprised and happy that at someone took charge and dared to present a side of Indian society that most Indians wouldn’t admit to. Yes, I was a bit skeptical because I expected the subject to be handled in the typical carcaturist manner but thank god the makers did not resort to that.

The story is told from Ramya’s perspective who happens to be Jugal’s sister. The setting is a small town hill station where everyone knows everyone. Jugal is teenage son of an assistant manager, knows very well about his sexuality but only his bestest friend Mehr knows about it. She is his only true friend. Jugal dreams of the perfect boyfriend and his prayers are answered when he sees Romil, his new next-door neighbor. Romil is a macho dude who only talks about girls. After an awkward start, a nice gentle friendship starts to grow between the two guys despite the fact that both the parents hate each other because of the job situation and of course the big north-south divide in India. Anyway, one evening Jugal dares to kiss Romil and Romil beats him up only to later realize and accept that he is gay himself. Love blossoms and the couple decides to tell their respective families. All hell breaks lose when the parents find out and both the boys are thrown out of their home. With the help of Mehr and her mon (the only 2 people supportive of them), they both move to Mumbai to find jobs but neither of them can forget their families and they come up with a brilliant idea to bring the parents back close to them. All’s well that ends well, albeit bit of dramatic situations. Both the families finally come around and after a few years of dating and settling in jobs, the couple gets married. Of course there are many funny anecdotes and side stories of the parents , siblings and friends but core is still the love story.

This series is interpretation of Romeo-Juliet with a twist. It has the elements of a typical Indian film full of drama, music, comedy, romance and even dancing but I was so relieved to see that we are not treating gay characters as comic relief, but as important sensitive central characters. The screenplay was quite good but on the flip side, the momentum and charm that the first 4 episodes had, is missing somehow in later episodes. Moments shared between Mehr and Jugal were my favourite. Both the lead actors do a commendable job. They look good and have very good chemistry. Although I feel that Jugal had an edge over Romil because of is character. He makes the whole series watchable because of his raw emotions, honesty and bravery. In fact the acting by all characters is pretty god. You have to watch this as small town TV show, so don’t expect any Oscar worthy performances but things that are shown in Indian context are all pretty accurate. Initial refusal by Romil of his sexuality and how he ultimately feels comfortable accepting himself with Jugal’s help was shown very beautifully. The scenes where the parents react so aggressively was also very true to reality. I have known of families and friends who have dealt with very similar situations. The love between the couple is real, in fact that actors share a few kissing scenes too. This is not to say that there are no loopholes. Mehr’s character shows some change when she gets jealous of seeing Romil and Jugal together because she secretly loves Jugal. I felt that it was a bit far stretched given she was the one who knew everything about him. And a few more scenes but who cares!

My rating will be a bit high for this series, since it is a big step ahead in Indian context. finally there is something that shows how being gay is normal and their love is normal. It is a bold step to introduce Indians to the idea of homosexuality and how and why it is not a choice but just the way you are. We all probably have gay friends around us. I hope this series will help, so called straight people to get more empathetic to the whole idea. (7.5/10)